Street-washing machine.



T. M. MURPHY.

STREET WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00w. '1, 1905.

Patented 0613. 13, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M wq; a v

T. M. MURPHY.

STREET WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OGT. 7. 1905.

Patented Oct. 13,1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. M. MURPHY. STREET WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00w. 7, 1906.

900,870. PatentedOct. 13,1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I T. M. MURPHY.

STREET WASHING MACHINE. APPLIOATIONPILBD 0017, 1905.

900,870. Patented Oct. 13,1908.*

5 SHBETS-SHEET 4.

. URPHY.

ING MAG T STREET HINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1905.

' Patented 00t.13,1908.

5 SHEETS SHEET 5,

en that it may be used for flushing or 'chamber.8 by means of the tubular connecsprinkling purposes, as desired. tion {23 in which are seated valves 24 and In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective 25. Water orother cleansing fluid is adview of a street washing machine embodying mitted tothe Water chamber 9 through the my invention. Fig- 2 is a front view oi the valve 26 from any sin'table source of supdischarge nozzles and their connections. ply, and the air compressed-within the water Fig.3 is a transverse vertical view in midchamber 9 is forced? through the tubular section of the tank employed in my invenconnection 23 into the air chamber-8. The lion." Fig. 4 is a-transverse vertical view in water chamber 9 is provided with the de- 1'. lid-section of the sediment trap employed pending tubular member 27,- t -o;the lower in my invention. Fig. 5 is a transverse verend of which is atfixed the T-JOlIlt 28, the tical View in mid-section showing thc valve lower portion'of which is enlarged as indithrough which the supply of cleansing fluid cated by the numeral 25) to form a sed ment is admitted to the machine. Fig: 6 is an en-'- chamber, andthe bottom of the sednnent arged detail view of the means for controlchamber.'29 is providedwith a tap 30 whereling the position of the discharge nozzles. by the sediment chamber may -be read 1ly Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical view of the opened for the purpose of cleanlng it. The machine of my invention showingthe details T-joint 28 is provided at each end with the of the mechanism for controlling the positubes 31 in which the valves 22 are seated. lion of the nozzles. Fig. 8 is an enlarp'ed .The tubes 31 at their outer ends are condetail view of the bevel-gear mechainsm nected to the depending tubes 32, and at showing the hand-wheel in section. Fig. 9 the bottom of the tubes 32 I pr0v1de the is an enlarged View of one of the tubes carryflushing-heads 33, wh1ch are rigidly mounted ing the flushing-heads, and the radially proupon the tubes 32, and are a apted to (llS- jecting arm by which is actuated. Fig. 1.0 charge the cleansing fluid upon the surface v adapted to forcibly discharge liquids for the onmon.

LOUIS, MISSOURI. ASSIGNOR TO SANITARY STREET MACHINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- STREET-WASHING MACHINE.

I UNITED STATES PATENT THOMAS MIOHAELVMURPHY, or ST.

CLEANSING & SPRINKLING TION'OF MISSOURI.

vNo. 900,870. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application filed October 7, 1905. Serial l To. 281,863.

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS MICHAEL .iirnrnr, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Streetashing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street washing machines, and has for its object to provide, in a street washing, machine bearers 11 and sills 10 means of the straps 12, 13, 14, and 15..

lpon the forward end of the tank 6, I

16 I provide a hand lever 17 which is fut crumed to the sills 10 at a point indicated by the numeral 18. An arm 19 is pivotally mounted to the hand lever 17 at the point indicated by the numeral 20, and at a point approximately mid-way its 19 is slidably mounted upon the strap 13 by means of the guide member 21. At its rear end the bar 19 is 'pivo'tally connected to the leverQl by which thevalves 22 are actuated.

purpose of street cleaning, means for accurately regulating the pressure of the fluid and means for'd'irecting'the discharge to the front, sides or rear-of the machine,to the to be cleansed at a sharp angle of from 20 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the rack and pinion mechanism. Fig. 11 is a vertical side view of one of the flushingheads and its connections; Figs. 12 to 18 inclusive, are diagrammatic views showing the relative positions of the flushing-head attained in the use of my invention;

As shown in the drawings, I employ a cylindrical 'tank'ti'nhich is divided by the bulk lead 7 into anair chamber 8, and a water chamber 9. Upon a suitable running gear, longitudinal within the air chamber 8, during the process of filling is utilized to forcibly discharge the fluid from the tank 9 through the tube 2? and nozzles 33, and this discharge is etl'ect'ed at either side of the machine or upon both Sides simultaneously at the will erutor; such discharge being controlled by means of the hand levers 17. The flow of fluid into the water chamber 9 is controlled V by the check-valve 34 seated in the tube 26.

I The machine is provided sills 10 are mounted. Transverse bearers 11 are mounted upon the sills 10, and the tank 6 is supported by said bearers. The tank 6 is held in place upon the length, the bar The water chamber 9 is connected to the air Thezcompressed air which is accumulated provide the seat 16; at each side of the seat the water'chainliier S) with fluid.

ot the opwith an air gage 35 conveniently mounted near'the seat of the driver, and a Water gage 36 facing toward the rear of the machine. The structure thus described may be propelled'in any suitable manner upon the streets to be cleaned. By means of the mechanism which I have illustrated and described, I have provided perfect means of control of the discharge at each-side of the machine, and by utilizing the strap 13 as a guide and brace for the bars 19, I have secured strength and rigidity for the portion of my apparatus which is intended to accomplish this result.

In accommodating the discharge from the machine to varying widths of thoroughfares or other surfaces to be cleansed, I have found it desirable to control the relative positions of the discharge nozzles to each other. Under varying conditions it is expedient to revolve the discharge nozzles laterally toward each other in order'to concentrate the streams of both nozzles upon the same path, or to cause theni to diverge to a greater or less a gle according to the nature of the surface t be cleansed. It is obvious that to accomplish these results, each nozzle should be subject to individual control by the operator, and that they should be capable of being simultaneously moved in the same direction. To accomplish these results, the tubes 32 carrying the flushing heads 33 are revolubly mounted at their upper ends to the outer extremities of the tubes 31. Each of the tubes 32 is provided with a radially projecting arm 37 secured to the outer surface of the tubes by means of the collar 37. The outer ends of the arms 37 are turned upwardly and then outwardly, in goose-neck form as indicated in Fig. 9; the vertical portion of the bar being indicated by the numeral 38, and the upper horizontal member being indicated by the numeral 39. The upper horizontal member 39 is provided with a longitudinal slot 40.

It is obvious that'the arm 37 may be of any desired form or curvature; the form illustrated in the drawings is necessary on account of the location of the other portions of the mechanism of my invention, and is preferred because of the ,necessity of bringing the points of the arms 37 upon which the pull is exerted by the steering mechanism, above the, level of the front truck upon which the machine is supported and by which it is carried. The hangers 41 are mounted upon the bottom of the tank 6, one at each side ofthe machine. The hangers 41 are provided'wit-h the horizontal openings 42 in which the rack-bars 43 are slidably mounted. The rack-bars 43 are secured at their outer ends to the upper horizontal portion 39 of the arms 37 by bolts 44 rigidly mounted in the rack-bars 43 and extending through the slots 40. On the median line of the bottom of the tank 6, I have provided other depending hangers 45 and 46 in which the pinionrods 47 and 48 are journaled. These pinion rods are provided at their front ends with the bevel-gears 49 and 50, respectively, and at their rear extremities with the pinions 51 and 52, respectively. At the front of the tank 6 I haveprovided bearings 53-within which the sleeve-axle 55 is mounted, said sleeve-axle carrying the bevel-gear 54 by which the pinion-rod 47 is actuated through the bevel-gear 49; within the sleeve-axle 55' the axial shaft 56 is mounted. Upon the tops of the sleeve-axle 55 and the axial shaft 56 I have provided a hand-wheel 57 which is made in two sections 58 and 59; the section 58 being rigidly secured to the extremity of the shaft 56, while the section 59 is rigidly secured to the upper end of the sleeve-axle Sections 58 and 59 are provided with the handles (30 and 61 respectively, so that the operator can revolve both sections 58 and 59 simultaneously or independently in either direction thus moving the nozzles 33 laterally and in the same or opposite directions By the means described either of the nozzles may be moved laterally independently of the other, or both may be moved simultaneously. I am thus enabled to move the nozzles 33 toward each other laterally so as to concentrate the streams emitted by both upon a single narrow swath beneath the machine; or by causing them to diverge, I am enabled to make a wide swath. All of these movements of the nozzles are readily accomplished by the driver without moving from his seat.

Another object attained by my invention is that by means of the described mechanism for revolving the nozzles, it is possible to convert the street washing machine into a streetsprinkler. In the normal use of the machine, as in all machines of the class which is adapted to discharge a cleansing fluid under supernormal pressure upon the surface to be cleansed, the discharge is forward and in the direction of travel of the machine. For street sprinkling purposes, the discharge is either at rightangles to the path of the machine, or-rearwhrdly.

When it is desired .to have the discharge effected at the side of the machine or towards the tear, it ismerely necessary to loosen the collar 37 a from its contact with the outer s rface of the'depending tube 32, and then turn the tube 32*to bring the discharge orifice of the flushing-head to the dei and the machine is then capable of use as a street sprinkler.

The flushing-head 33 being provided as shown in the drawings with. a narrow, transverse delivery mouth 33 set at such an angle as to most efficiently remove tho'dirt from the street by washing it forwardlyv and lat- :i the flushing-head, in a substantially flat solid stream as shown in Fig. 11, it is obvious that when the air pressure is not employed, the force of the stream will be diminished and the water will be ejected merely by its own weight. This change of function can obviously be'accomplished without altering the angle at which the water is discharged from the flushing-heat with reference to the line of travel of the machine; but preferably when the machine is used as a sprinkler a rearward discharge is desired and can ,be effected by means of the revolving mechanism hereinbefore described.

In addition to the functions incident to the device of my invention which -I have heretofore described, it is obvious that it. is

at times necessary to employ. considerable force in removing dirt from the street surface'when that dirt consists of oily or other heavy material which is unusually difiicult to remove. By the mechanism .described that result is attained by concentering both streams upon themass to be removed in the manner indicated in Fig. 16; and this is accomplished by a front or rear discharge as desired. When the material is so adhesive to the street surface as to require a continued exertion of the force of the stream from the washing machine the streams may be converged as indicated in F ig. 16, and toward the rearof the machine. The machine may then be brought'to astop and the streamsthus converged employed upon'the material to be removed continuously for so long a time as is necessary to accomplish the cleansing of the street surface from the material. In accomplishing this cleansing, the mechanism of my invention permits the adjustment of the discharge to an angle which will best serve to convey the removed material to the desired point of deposit. Thus, ifthe material is in the vicinity of a sewer opening that angle will be secured which will drive the material directly toward such sewer opening, otherwise the material will be driven either to the adjacent street gutter or when the machines of my invention are employed in gangs as is the practice in the art, the material will be discharged so as to fall in the path of the next accompanying machine;

When so used in gangs the machines are driven in parallel paths and the discharge accordingly will be eflected toward the right or left and rear of the machine so as to fall within the path of the-machine next followof discharge of the flushing or sprinkling stream, and as that adjustability may be accomplished by the independent or contemporaneous revolution of the flushing-head the device of my invention embodies all of the advantages of the street flushing machines as well as of the street. sprinkling machines now commonly in use; and for the first time in the art these advantages are all embodied in a single machine. I

When it is desired to use the machine merely asa street sprinkler, the water cha nber'9 is charged with water in the usual manner, but the valve 25 is left open during the operation of filling the water chamber 9 and it is left open during the operation of discharge.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to have secured to me by' named tank, whereby the contents of the' water tank may be discharged under pressure from the air tank when it is desired, to

use the machine as a flushing machine, substantially as specified. a

2. In a traveling street washing-machine,

the combination of a tank adapted tolcontain water under pressure, a plurality of nozzles connected to said tank, and revolubly mounted upon opposite sides of the tank, said nozzles being adapted to discharge cleansing fluid at a sharp "angle upon the surface to be cleansed, and be revoluble in a horizontal plane; and a rack and pinion mechanism whereby the nozzles on each side of the machine may be revolved in such-horizontal plane simultaneously or independently, and an air tank having a valve-controlled connection with the first named tank and adapted to deliver air under pressure to the first named tank when it is desired. to use the machine as a flushing machine, substantially as specific In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence ofv two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS MICHAEL MURPHY.

-, Witnesses:

ALFRED A. EICKS,

' Gno. P. BURLEIGH. 

